The addition of Titleist's Pro V1 and Pro V1x "split arrow" golf balls to the USGA's conforming golf ball is a strong signal that updated versions are ready for the company's seeding and validation process that typically occurs before a product is released to the masses.

The "split arrow" naming isn't a new version of V1 or V1x, but rather how the USGA differentiates the forthcoming 2027 offerings from previous versions. Titleist didn't mention any testing occurring at the Biltmore Championship, so we'll have to wait and see which event they tap for the first round of tournament testing.

The 22-year-old's bout with driver yips has been well-publicized, most notably during an opening 90 at the 2025 Masters. Dunlap bounced back with a 71 that next day and on Thursday he showed similar resilience at the Biltmore Championship. After hitting his opening drive of the tournament out of play right and having to re-tee, Dunlap then hit his second tee shot left and could barely advance his next shot on his way to starting the tournament with a triple bogey. But then he played beautifully with five birdies, an eagle and no bogeys. Look at this scorecard:

Dunlap, the only golfer other than Tiger Woods to win both the U.S. Junior and U.S. Amateur, needs a bunch more rounds like that opening 67 this fall to keep his PGA Tour card. But at least he's given himself an opportunity to improve from No. 167 in the FedEx Fall standings thanks to Thursday's quick turnaround.

Rep. Jared Huffman of California revealed during a congressional hearing Wednesday that the National Park Service had hired a civil engineering firm to begin work connected to the historic public course in Washington, D.C., without a public announcement or prior notice to Congress. Federal records show the Park Service awarded a $389,355 contract on Sept. 10 to Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, an engineering firm, for design support and work related to environmental and historic-preservation requirements. Huffman, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, argued that the contract shows the administration is moving the project forward before Congress, the courts or the public can fully scrutinize the plans. The administration has previously said it intends to remake East Potomac into a “world-class golf venue,” while lawmakers and preservation groups have pushed for greater disclosure about the scope, cost and future public access to the federally owned property. “We have seen this playbook too many times to sit up here and pretend that we don’t know where this is going and how this story ends,” Huffman said, drawing parallels to Trump’s $600 million White House ballroom project. Read Golf Digest’s longform piece about the East Potomac-Trump battle here.

And the North Carolina city is having a grand old time with its return. Local businesses are going all out, notably the Biltmore Shop winery, which created The Caddie Red Wine (in limited quantities) for the first-ever Biltmore Championship Asheville. It’s an “easy-drinking blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Zinfandel” and sounds like a great first sip after a victory.

The Biltmore Shop is far from alone, as Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn asked Asheville High School students for help with artwork for a limited-edition tournament bag, and The Hop Ice Cream is bringing its “Hole-in-One” flavor to the course. For those wondering, that’s chocolate ice cream with marshmallow golf balls and caramel swirls. Yes, please.

Matt Kuchar won six individual tournaments, was the Fred Haskins Award winner in 1998 and wound up a two-time first-team All-American. Yet this week, Cameron topped his old man when he claimed the title at the Bearcat Invitational, sharing medalist honors with Liberty’s Michael Lugiano after shooting rounds of 68-67-69 (nine under) at Coldstream C.C. outside Cincinnati, Ohio. This was just the second college start for Cameron, a decorated junior player before earning his first title. In contract, Matt Kuchar won his first title at Tech in his third career start.

Seriously, right now as in THIS INSTANT.

Page air-traffic control because that is sky-scraping stuff from Alex Noren, who began his BMW PGA Championship defense at Wentworth on Thursday. The Swede missed his tee shot on the par-3 5th hole just to the right of the green but recovered for a kick-in par thanks to this remarkable bit of improvisation. The shot evoked the short-game magic of a certain disgraced former major winner and provided a reminder of a not-so-distant past when pros would play the shots they felt in the moment, not the ones analytics told them to. Those were the days, kids. Those were the days ...

Those on social media like to skewer the tour for its perceived overuse of lift, clean and place during tournament rounds, so that contingent will likely have a field day with the following statement from tour rules officials: "Due to heavy rainfall and high temperatures in Western North Carolina creating challenging agronomic conditions during the final phases of tournament preparation, preferred lies will be in effect all four rounds at the Biltmore Championship Asheville." A preemptive LCP for all four days is certainly something, although there is bad weather in the forecast over the weekend. Still, expect scores to be low in the Biltmore's inaugural event.

This was a tough way to start a tournament for the two-time major champ. Rahm found a greenside bunker on his opening hole at the BMW PGA Championship, but hit what looked to be a brilliant shot. Unfortunately, it was too brilliant, clanging off the flagstick and rolling all the way off the front of the green. 

Rahm saved bogey from there, but that's a rough way to begin your day/week.

Nothing about that sentence is a major detraction from what Srixon has done in the past. But there's one model that deserves a deeper conversation—and that's ZXi5+. On this week's Club Lab podcast, Uncle Gene and I discuss why Srixon's foray into the premium players-distance space has the potential to shake up a category that continues to boom.

We also dive into our latest robotic test on strong-lofted irons, the return of Brooks Koepka's trusty gamer and more. Listen to Club Lab on Apple, Spotify or wherever you consume podcasts.

But this one is likely a first for any major championship winner: being the subject of AI-generated videos with insane yet hilarious storylines.

After Fox’s victory at Royal Birkdale in July, two videos surfaced on Instagram from a meme account. In one AI video, a fake television news style-report said two Australian men kidnapped New Zealander Fox (and tasered his caddie). In another video, Fox is shown taking off his shirt and drinking a beer from his shoe on the 18th green. 

Fox told Golf Digest on Wednesday at Wentworth that he was more than aware of the videos. “I've been a little bit shocked,” Fox said. “To be fair, most of them are really funny. I thought it was hilarious, but I still find it very, very weird.”

Fox said he was “impressed” with another AI-generated videos of dancing because “I can't dance.”

It was a good question I got in my recent Golf IQ mailbag.

Assuming normal-ish rough, missing the fairway is less of a penalty the further away you are from the green. It's also less of a penalty for higher handicaps.

But all things equal, assuming the rough is a 20 yard penalty is a good rule of thumb. So, a drive that goes 250 yards into the rough is the same as one that goes 230 yards into the fairway. If your drive goes 260 yards into the rough, you're coming out ahead.

The chart below from a recent Game Plan video that unpacks it in some more detail.

That would be the case again if a bill introduced this week in Congress becomes law. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) have authored what they’re calling the Training and Education for Americans Members in University Sports and Athletics (TEAM USA) Act (H.R. 10351). The proposed legislation would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 by limiting the number of international student-athletes on a college roster to a maximum of 20 percent. “American colleges and universities should first and foremost provide opportunities for American students,” said Walberg, chair of the House Committee on Education & Workforce, in a press release. Division I college golf rosters are set at around eight or nine players, meaning teams could carry essentially one international player if the bill were to become law. According to Walberg, since 2001, the number of international student-athletes receiving scholarships has nearly tripled, from approximately 8,945 to roughly 25,000. It’s unclear how much support this bill, which would look to go into effect during the 2029-30 academic year, has as Congress also wrestles with the Protect College Sports Act.